Budget Books

When i bought this book, I was deep in debt... i think i bought it with my credit card. When the book called for me to take a month to just write down each and every purchase, it was a shock that i needed to realize just how much money i waste every day. In a few months time, I was out of the hole i was in, and now using the tools i learned from that book, I'm completely debt free. During which time, I've paid off a car, and actually have a savings account! This book is worth more than words can say, but you have to apply to it and use the tools that work for you.

I have tried many software based budget programs and most contain features that are rarely used or very specific to certain users. This book provides a customizable, no nonsense, hardcopy based, useful system that needs no batteries, power cords or laptop connection. With this system you can work on your budget in the middle of the desert or on top of a mountain...no cords attached.

When your trying to set up a budget the last thing you want is a bunch of worksheets, and numbers. That's all this book is, worksheet after worksheet, that you end up half using since there are so many spaces that you don't need to use. My recommendation to those that want to set up a simple budget, add all up of your bills for the month, than divide by four. You'll get the total of how much you need to set aside a week to pay your bills. Than add your weekly expenses to that number, such as groceries, gas, and so on. You'll end up with the amount you need to make weekly to make ends meet.

I've used other budget books before, but this was much more extensive. I really liked the catagory breakdowns, I thought they were much more realistic for my lifestyle. To really use this book fully would take a bit of time, but that's probably good if your looking for budget help anyway.

Though several of the reviews and used editions of this book refer to a CD, this so-called "kit" does not include a CD. In fact, the book has a URL link to a moneytracker dot com website with offers to purchase thirteen dollars worth of spreadsheets separately.

I don't like this misleading marketing of a book and it is a disappointment that so many reviewers let this author off the hook for calling this paper-and-pencil workbook a "kit."

In 2008, it is reasonable to expect a book about spreadsheets to offer the spreadsheets themselves at no extra charge.

This book is for all of us who get pleasure from saving money. It is for people who get more of a thrill out of walking out of a grocery store having saved $30 on their food bill than they do when the spend $100 on a new pair of expensive shoes. If you prefer the smell of retiring early from a job you dislike to new car smell, you have found your book. While this book is a little extreme with homemade Halloween costumes for kids and going through piles of your neighbors curb side throw outs to repair and use. It has excellent ideas on cooking at home to save money, and a great philosophy on how to stop relying on convenient foods, convenient stores, and conveniently spending all your money on things that add no value to your life. Whether it is buying 10 pairs of the exact same color and type of sock so when one wears out or is lost you lose one and not a pair, or putting a gallon jug of water in your toilet to save a gallon of water on every flush, this book is packed with ideas that will save you the cost of the book itself very quickly. Stock up on items you use frequently when they are on sale, take your time when buying a car or house so you get the best deal possible, negotiate big ticket items. The bottom line is spend money on what is most important to you, a nice house, quality time with your children, or early retirement and stay away from single serve pudding cups, lunch-ables, restaurants, fast food, and grocery items not on sale. Escape the consumer spending trap and the corporate rat race all at one time through spending smart to live more free. (I would suggest the purchase of "The complete tightwad gazette) it is three times the size of this part of the trilogy,and costs almost the same).

I am a serious tightwadder and I appreciate many of the tightwad tips but if I ever receive a wedding invitation asking me to bring a potluck dish AND to specify what I am bringing in lieu of a gift, the invitation is going right into the recycling bin. Amy compares budget catered meals as inferior to to elaborate potluck meals. I disagree completely. A very simple, inexpensive catered meal with well-chosen items will be superior to a potluck any day. She makes no mention of afternoon cake and punch receptions as an option for those who don't want to go in debt paying for a wedding reception. Furthermore, I am not going to ask my brother to be the photographer, my aunt to bake a cake, or my sister to do the floral arrangements. This is something that people who want to help OFFER. Guests and relatives have a right to enjoy a ceremony without being burdened by potluck planning and wedding chores.

If you have all 3 of the Tightwad Gazette books then you don't need any other books on frugality. These books are great. They would make a great wedding gift.

Most of my praise or criticism can be found in other reviews posted here. However, there's one point I did not see mentioned. The book is old and sorely needs a revised edition.

While the principles are timeless and many ideas and recipes are current, a book written on penny-pinching pre the advent of the Internet is lacking in a lot of ways.

Missing is use of email, consumer websites and online resources, online banking, various technological advances as well as current price comparisons, interest rates, etc.

Finally, while there are many helpful and worthwhile suggestions that make the book worthwhile, there are plenty to make you cringe. When thrift comprises hygienic practices, as I believe it does in some cases, it's time to draw the line.

As a long time subscriber to the Tightwad Gazette, I can see many reviewers have a distorted picture of Amy and Family from only reading the book.

First, it's not surprising someone got "bored" with it after reading 3/4 of it, it was meant to be read one issue at a time - a whole book results in Overdose.
Amy's husband was a 20-year Navy career enlisted man. They knew they would have a not-too-large lifetime pension and lots of half-grown children when he retired. So they PLANNED AHEAD how to have one Stay-at-Home parent at all time plus the large white farmhouse they had always dreamed of. They chose Maine because cost of living was reasonable there.

They knew the only way they could manage the monthly mortgage payments on the house they wanted was if they made a VERY substantial downpayment (mortgage rates were higher then, and back in the 80's I don't think there were any JUMBO 35-mortgages which result in your being enslaved to the bank for the rest of your entire life, should you live so long) and started to save immediately for the downpayment. They lived in a studio apartment when first married.

They are both extremely "handy" and they just have never swallowed the American Frenzy for "buy more, more, more, newer, latest model, upgrade " that fuels the American Economy since the 1960's. Matter of fact, they seemed to live more the way families back in the 50's did - one TV, baking, freezing and canning, kids playing ball outside in the yard, Scouting, Church on Sunday, a stay-home-parent (after the husband retired, it was he, and Amy started the Gazette. And her husband, Lord love him, cooks and can fix almost anything.)

The picture painted by Amy in the Gazette is NOT of the stereotyped decaying 21st Century Family with both parents working 12 hours a day, a diet of take-out or order-in food ("whaddaya feel like tonight, honey, Chinese, Thai or Pizza?") , nannies, kids with their own cars and VISA cards, psychological disorders, parents who don't know what their kids are doing and are afraid to discipline them, humongous credit card bills and the possibility of having to declare personal bankruptcy, drug abusing kids snorting stuff off the granite kitchen counters, etc. (hopefully, most of today's families aren't like that either, but from some of the things you observe ....)

As far as I know, once they had amassed a nest egg they felt was big enough to give their kids the education they wanted, they suspended the publication of the Gazette, much to my dismay.

I followed a lot of the tips given and the philosophy and retired at 49. I've had time and money to travel a LOT and care for aged, ill parents. You'll never convince me that the things I learned from the Tightwad Gazette and from Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin's "Your Money or Your Life" aren't the sanest way to live.

This has to be the most efficient text book that I have ever read. Most books assigned to college courses are padded with useless pages to text. As a graduate student who also works, I don't have the time to shuffle through these pages looking for the information I need. In "Public Budgeting" David Nice is able to make every page count. Looks can be deceiving as this book looks to be a short and quick read, though that is not the case. Everything included within these pages is relevant information. Immediately getting to the point, this makes the learning experience much less tedious. "Public Budgeting" is a book I would recommend to any public administration student.

This book was very concise and coherent. It was right to the point with no long excessive unnecessary information. The theme of the book stuck directly to the main point which is budgeting in the public sector.

I enjoyed the book, because I did not have to use other aid to assist me in understanding the subject matter of the book which was budgeting. For any professor teaching public budgeting, I would recommend that if they would like their students to understand the subject matter should use this book.

Each chapter provides a clear and concise guide for how the chapter will be presented to the reader. There is no confusion and or difficulty when beginning to read each chapter of the book. I enjoyed that the book was created in the form of an outline format which provides ease for the reader in providing direction as to where the chapter is going.

Further, I found the reference section of the book to be very beneficial if searching for research information and sources. Additionally, the Index provide a precise way by which to look for information that you may be looking for throughout the book, if you had some sort of difficulty with understanding the information provided in the book.

The book was a very good read, and can be used as a very effective resource if doing research on public budgeting and or to obtain a better understanding of the Budgetary Process.

The textbook titled "Public Budgeting" was written by the author David Nice and published by Wadsworth Group Publishing. The purpose of the book is to combine the focus of budget literature and public administration in a simplistic format for a wide range audience. One does not have to have a career in budgeting or finance to understand the concepts of the book. It is presented in a clear and concise format. The text is divided into 11 chapters. The topics of the text range from a brief introduction, overview of the various phases in the budget process, anayltical techniques, the adoption and implementation phases, and the complex relationships between the economy and public budgeting. "Public Budgeting" is an appropirate text for all levels especially for those being introduced to budgeting concepts.
I have read several budgeting and accounting texts and this is one of the few books that I have read in which I did not get overwhelmed or bored. The only 2 recommendations I would make is to include a glossary at the end of the book and to have a chapter summary and review questions at the end of each chapter. Including a glossary will be beneficial to those new to the budgeting field so they can have a quick reference point rather than flipping through the text. A chapter summary and review questions will reinforce the information discussed in the chpater and aid the student in studying. Despite the areas of improvement, I would still highly recommend this text for students.

Any student who hopes to have or any employee who has responsibilities in budgeting would want to read this book. The author provides invaluable information regarding important theories, various uses and phases of the budget process, explores complex relationships between the economy and public budgeting, fiscal federalism which looks at the types of financial aid from one level of government to another, competition for revenue among governments, and the methods of influences one government may use to sway the budgetary decisions of other governments. David Nice incorporates the importance of budgetary literature from the political/policy side with literature detailing the emphases of budgetary literature from the public administration or the public finance perspective. Both the political/policy and public administration components of budgeting address common concerns. The author has taken these two perspectives and meshed them in such a way as to afford the student or employee a single reference source for assimilating and understanding the dynamics of these two separate entities and demonstrates how they play against and in support of each other in public budgeting.

Public Budgeting contents are well organized, easy to follow and understand.

David Nice's book Public Budgeting provides an overview of the Public Budgeting Process. His perspective is from the National, State and Local level.

As a Federal Government worker I have always been interested in the budgeting process. The book helped me to understand the process. I also found it to be an easy read for someone with no other experience in the Public Budgeting area.

The examples used in the book, where relative to events which occur in the federal agency where I am employed. It gave me a clearer understanding of the budget process and the decisions made by upper management.

I would definitely refer this book to other graduate students with little or no previous budgeting experience.

This is a fantastic cookbook. There is a huge range of recipes that and advice that make it ideal for everyone, (not just the frugal). I borrowed it from my mom and had to end up buying one for myself. My husband is a very picky eater, and I have had the most compliments from meals I have made from this cookbook.

However,

I believe one of best sections of this book comes after the recipes. About a quarter of the book is dedicated to cleaning recipes, and make your own gifts and goodies. There are some jar mix recipes, but there is also a whole section on beauty supplies (bath fizzies, soap etc.) that make great gifts. I put together beauty baskets for friends for Christmas with the recipes and saved so much money. You will love this book!!

I bought this book a few years ago and use it every week. She gives such good examples of ways to save on everything from food, to gift giving. She lists tons of ideas so you don't feel deprived at all! All of her recipes are easy and she gives lists of cheap inexpensive but healthy meals. I would reccomend this book to anyone! It would be an awesome gift for a new bride as well or for christmas times are hard and this book helps you stretch a buck!!!

The book is OK. The author sometimes repeats phrases and tips, and there are quite a few typos in the book. But it has some good tips and nice recipes.

I thought I would enjoy reading this cookbook and get some ideas for saving money while making my family nutritious meals. After reading this cookbook, I am disappointed in it for the following reasons:
(1) There is no nutritional information for the recipes presented. I want to make sure the recipes I cook are both economical and nutritional.
(2) There is no cost per serving information for the recipes. Yes, I know that this number would not stay accurate over time because food pricing changes, but the author does have a chart in the front of the book telling you what you would save if you cut out certain high dollar food items from your pantry. So I think you should expect to see the cost per serving for the recipes presented.
(3) The 1000 money saving tips were not as helpful as I thought they would be. For example, I did not like that the author recommended limiting your child to only one glass of Milk and one glass of juice per day. While that might be fine for older children, I think that younger ones need more milk throughout the day. I don't think you should cut back on nutrition to save money.
(4) For a book advertised as a cookbook, I thought more information could be given about the recipes (see comments above). And chapters that weren't strictly about recipes should be eliminated. I did not find the gift basket chapter or how to make household cleaners chapter, or how to make your own beauty products chapter all that helpful.
(5) As another reviewer pointed out there are many typographical errors in this book. It just seemed to be put together too quickly.

Overall, I think just buying a basic all around cookbook (such as betty crocker or Better homes and gardens family cookbook) and having the discipline to cook for your family instead of eating out would be more helpful to a family trying to save money than this book.

I was somewhat disappointed with this book. The recipes, for the most part, really aren't all that cheap because many of them rely heavily on meat and canned/packaged foods. More-with-less (Herald Press) gives much more economical recipes built around truly inexpensive ingredients such as rice and dried lentils.

This book does have a few redeeming qualities, though. The recipes are probably quicker than those in More-with-less, and I suspect they would be more kid-friendly (I can't say for sure because I don't have kids.) Also, I use the recipes for homemade cleaning products.

My grandmother lived in the Appalachian Mountains, and I would go to her home to visit her two or three times a year. In the summer, almost everything we ate came from her vegetable garden and her chicken coop. Milk, butter, flour, meal, oil, and red meat were almost all she purchased at the tiny grocery in town. The food she cooked was some of the best food I have ever eaten. I spent endless hours of my youth in the kitchen with her, but because she measured in her hands, I have been unable to re-create many of her recipes. Christoper Kimball, however, has in The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook. These recipes are genuine, "down home" recipes. Not only that, but I truly appreciate the honesty he has used when discussing the recipes, such as informing the reader that good creamed corn can't be made from "old, store-bought corn." The corn "has to be fresh, juicy, and delicate." That's right.

If you are interested in learning how to cook genuine, down-home, American good, this is the cookbook for you. I've owned it for eight or nine years now, and the pages are stained with food spatterings. I read cookbooks, like other people read novels, and I purchase many of them. Unfortunately, those purchases often end up in the garbage or the used bookstore because the recipes in them are a disaster, while The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook remains open, stained, and waiting on my cookbook stand to be referred to time and time again.

The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook is aimed for those with second houses OR startup kitchens. It is complete with what utensils and pots to buy, with reviews right out of the Cooks Illustrated Magagine. It gives lots of information on the science of cooking too. There are not allot of recipes in here but this is a basic book that lets you understand cooking & what to buy to get started.

If you get this with the Joy and you'll be okay.
The Cook's bible is the upscale version of the Farmhouse, the pots and kitchen equipment are more top-end; Farmhouse is how to make a kitchen on a budget -- your call.

There is great comfort for any cook who finds a cookbook author he or she likes: you know what to expect, you trust their judgement and their recipes, you like their voice. That's the case with Christopher Kimball and me.

Christopher Kimball founded and still edits COOK'S ILLUSTRATED magazine. I always learn something from COOK'S. Its laconic, thorough approach is Chris incarnate, and this unfussy spirit is echoed in "The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook" as well. With its yellow-checked cover, an old-fashioned typeface (Poor Richard, perhaps?), and illustrations reminiscent of woodblock prints by Rockwell Kent or Barry Moser, this is a conscious visual effort to call up the gentle past.

The recipes, however, are anything but nostalgic. Chris flatly debunks assumption after assumption about recipes we thought we knew. He is a demon tester, and has charted wonderful new paths to the same old dishes, making them bright and newly delicious in our mouths. Several "Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook" recipes have become family favorites in my home (especially the scalloped potatoes, which get requested on practically a weekly basis). This book is a stroke of good fortune for any home cook.

I have tried two recipes so far and they were both flops! I tried the baking powder biscuits and the buttermilk pancakes (with the whole milk variation). I really like Kimball and love America's Test Kitchen but I do not like this book.

I bought this book to read about Christopher Kimball's kitchen experiments. I love his writing style.

I think this cookbook contains a lot of useful information for beginners. However, it contains nothing that good cooks don't already know. For that reason, I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5.

This is a substantial, substantive overview of project management. Students could use Robert Wysocki's book as the text for a survey course about various professional approaches to project management. It even includes problems, chapter-by-chapter "learning objectives" and case studies. However, professionals will find solid, useful content, as well. Wysocki brings a lot to the table: voluminous information, insights from his decades of experience and clear personal judgments about the various methods he covers. getAbstract recommends this authoritative text to project management practitioners, trainees and students.

Project management is often treated as a belief system and adherents to one cult reject and condemn all others. This is unfortunate because project management has been subjected to honest research and decades of practice have also yielded objectives results. This book is now in its fourth edition and is a handy introduction to three approaches to project management. I think it is very suitable for a 101 course in project management or for the general reader wanting to get a handle on things. Of course, if you want an in depth practical implementation guide to this or that method of project management, you will think this book has serious shortcomings. But you will also be judging the book for not being something it was never intended to be.

Robert Wysocki first lays out the basic ideas behind Traditional Project Management. He carefully explains its strengths and weaknesses and why it fits more with well structure projects with known outcomes, resources, and timetables. There are many topics he covers during this process. For example, the author contrasts the Critical Path versus the Critical Chain in managing the length of the project and applying resources. He carefully explains how each of these topics works with the Adaptive Project Framework. This first part takes about two-thirds of the book.

When the project outcomes require more flexibility, where learning is expected to take place along the way, and especially where the project process will include iterations of some of its components, this will do best with the Adaptive Project Framework, and this is covered in part two. He also covers Extreme Project Management for those types of projects, such as software development, where the precise nature of the final deliverable may not be known in the beginning.

Again, if you are looking for a solid introduction to these topics and to get your hands around the basic concepts of project management, this is a good resource. If you are looking for a detailed practitioners guide to a specific method of project management, you should probably look elsewhere. This book was never intended to be that.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

The presented methodologies are very reallistic and up-to-date. The way the information is organized, could be more user friendly.

even though it is outdated. You have all the major ingrediants for PMP.
It is very low cost. The computer software MS 2003 is outdated, but you can download the free trial version 2007.

It's a good book on project management. I wish it was more in line with the standards from PMI. Also covers some advanced topics such as portfolio management but not in much detail.

Very good book. She has others - one geared toward college grads that I hear is good. Offers good practical advice, doesn't talk above you.

I have never read a book that has been dead on with reality. If anyone and I mean anyone wants to get out of debt and become well off this book will guide you there. However you better be ready to put your part in it to. I have read this book a few times just so that I wont wonder off into a spenders like I have done in the past. Lynette has guided and kept me on the track to success. YOU WILL NOT REGRET PURCHASING THIS BOOK!!!!

The author paid off her debt by cashing in her $80,000 IRA and paid the rest off with her paycheck, interst and all. I don't have an $80k IRA or a Masters Degree or a job with a major tv network. If the system doesn't work for someone wealthy like her - then there really is something wrong! For the average middle class consumer though - who is maxed out on their credit cards - I find no relief in this book. Pretty much it says Just pay off your debt - double your payments even - find some way to make more money to do it. Why did she write a book? This doesn't tell me anything or help me in anyway.

Great book with a lot of good tips. The book helped me stay focus.

it may not be the best written book that I have read, but the basis of it is simple and easy to following. it gives you step by step ideas on ridding oneself of debt. the writer is successful in meeting the goals of this book

This book is part two in the tightwad trilogy for all of us who get pleasure from saving money. It is for people who get more of a thrill out of walking out of a grocery store having saved $30 on their food bill than they do when the spend $100 on a new pair of expensive shoes. If you prefer the smell of retiring early from a job you dislike to new car smell, you have found your book. While this book is a little extreme with homemade Halloween costumes for kids and going through piles of your neighbors curb side throw outs to repair and use. It has excellent ideas on cooking at home to save money, and a great philosophy on how to stop relying on convenient foods, convenient stores, and conveniently spending all your money on things that add no value to your life. Whether it is buying 10 pairs of the exact same color and type of sock so when one wears out or is lost you lose one and not a pair, or putting a gallon jug of water in your toilet to save a gallon of water on every flush, this book is packed with ideas that will save you the cost of the book itself very quickly. Stock up on items you use frequently when they are on sale, take your time when buying a car or house so you get the best deal possible, negotiate big ticket items. The bottom line is spend money on what is most important to you, a nice house, quality time with your children, or early retirement and stay away from single serve pudding cups, lunch-ables, restaurants, fast food, and grocery items not on sale. Escape the consumer spending trap and the corporate rat race all at one time through spending smart to live more free. (I would suggest the purchase of "The complete tightwad gazette) it is three times the size of this part of the trilogy,and costs almost the same).

This book changed my life. The underlying theme is conservation- of money and resources. The book is divided into two themes: the author's essays on saving money and tips sent in by readers. The essays are the best, always well thought out and well written. The tips sent in by readers (the "book" was taken from a weekly newsletter), are sometimes very good, and sometimes a bit extreme. It opens your eyes though, to how much we waste. It makes you realized just how little a person or family really needs to get by. We are a very spoiled society, and reading this book makes you understand why, without preaching. If you want to cut your budget a little, this is the book. If you want to rethink your entire lifestyle and become more earth friendly, this is the book. I loved this book and have given it to several friends and family members who are consuming themselves into debt, or just need guidance on how to live more cheaply.

I enjoyed reading the first Tightwad Gazette book so when I finally got my hands on the second one I couldn't wait to read it. Amy has thought of uses for things that never would have even crossed my mind to do all in the name of saving money and living happily!

Definately a book worth picking up for people at any stage of their lives. I think we can all stand to save a few bucks here and there.

This book, along with the Tightwad Gazette I and III, serves as a starting point to examining our own expenses, lifestyles, etc. Amy admits that no one is going to adopt ALL her ideas and she further admits that some of her ideas are over the top. (dumpster diving comes to mind) But we, as consumers, make our own choices. Amy has done a wonderful job in helping us become frugal and live on one income. so that we can stay at home with our children. The tips and ideas here in this book- along with her knowledge of figuring out the cheapest way is the best thing you can take out of this.

To the reader who made reference to a reusable tampon, it is NOT a reusable tampon that is spoken of in the book. It is an alternative to the tampon called The Keeper. She's not dogmatic about it either. She suggests using non-disposable pads if you don't want to use a Keeper and she says that if you decide to stick with disposables, pads are generally cheaper than tampons. So, she does leave room for other ideas based on your own personal preference.

If you were grossed out by the review of the person who spoke of a "reusable tampon" don't pass up the book just because of that. There are lots of good ideas even if you don't like every single one of them. I have all 3 of Amy's books and recommend them all. If you have all 3 of the Tightwad Gazette books then you don't need any other books on frugality.

Always enjoyed his show and liked his upfront candor and is adorable smile and just a cutie who knows how to cook, party and be what appears to be a real good guy. I am sorry to not see any new episodes of his show on the food network. Anyhow Dave I liked the show and your book has some great recipes and adoarble photos of you.

That is pretty good right there but he is also a chef and on the Food Channel. Wow!
He has some pretty good down home recipes. Nothing that I would call spectacular but
there are some solid ones. You will find many recipes to try here

I have been working my way through this cookbook, and each recipe has been delicious. It's worth buying just for the mohito recipe, which is AMAZING! It's the best mohito you'll ever have, but be careful not to enjoy them too much (like I did) or you'll be puking up mint leaves.

The title says it all....you can make a quick meal with a small staple of supplies. The color photos are great also to know what something should look like.

Yes, his book is basic. Yep, if you have been cooking for a while, there are better books out there. But, if you are trying to learn to cook, don't have time to make frosting, and just want to get basic ideas to start from...he has a good book going here. His second book it better. As for using store bought items, most of the celeb chefs do that now...rarely do you see people making their own chicken stock or veal stock anymore...This book is what it is...as simple, easy to use cookbook that provides basic directions. Remember that the whole premise of his show is cooking good meals cheaply and quickly. While Rachel Ray may have him beat when it comes to time and complexity...he still beats her when it comes to cost, time, and taste.

So, if you are just starting out...might be worth a look...if you are already a good cook, there are SO many other books out there that will give you the challenge you are looking for. Since I am not rating them, I give this one 4 stars because it is easy to read, easy to use, good for starting out, and provides low cost, nice meals that if you accidentally trash them in the learning process...you will not be out that much.

Love ya Dave.

A very easy and informative read which lays out the issues very clearly and recognizes the need for them to be addressed now. I've recomended the book to all my friends and have purchased copies for my family.

'Where Does the Money Go' is an objective, easy, and informative read for anyone interested in the spending habits of our Federal government. It contains many important and up-to-date statistics, helpful graphs/charts, and an overwhelming amount of reference for further reading. Furthermore, there is a very interesting chapter that lays out the budget and lets you play politician; you allocate money based on your personal opinions and you discover where your budget ends up. This exercise puts a little substance to all of the reading.

While I do think this book is a good read, especially during a time with the big promises from our Presidential nominees and multi-billion dollar bailouts, I found this book to be a bit fluff. There first 150+ pages were good, but after that the book seems to drag on. Given the fact that this book is more of a broad introduction to the subject, it should have been wrapped up in 150-200 pages, not 300+. The last few chapters drift off subject.

it makes something vey complicated(or so the government wants us to believe)simple for the TAXPAYER to somewhat understand.

This book is a great place to start for learning about the long-term crisis the federal government is facing. It is entertaining, with a great narrative style, some fun stories, and tons of informative graphs. Further, it is thoroughly researched, with helpful citations addressing the critical arguments our nation's leaders will face as they try to solve this. It is scrupulously non-partisan and fact-based, a real breath of fresh air. This is THE book to start with. It dovetails nicely with the new movie, I.O. U.S.A. I've bought a half-dozen copies of this book and given them to others interesting in public policy. HIGHLY recommended.

Writing this review during the 2008 Presidential campaign and amidst the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, I find the book, "Where Does the Money Go?" informative, provocative and very, very timely. If either of the Presidential candidates had read the book before the final debate, I think either would have scored meaning points with the viewers. Instead, when asked to comment on the federal debt, neither seemed to want to address it. Or, maybe neither really had the knowledge conveyed in this comprehensive, easy-to-read, very worthwhile book.

The first thing that I like about the book is that it clearly invites the reader in as if the reader has nothing to worry about, as if there are no "dumb" questions. At no time did I ever feel that the authors were talking down to me or expecting me to have a level of knowledge beyond the average reader. So, in this sense, the book appears to be meant to be a primer, but it goes well beyond that. It clearly goes on to give the reader a high level of insight into how the federal budget works and what the ramifications are to reducing the debt amassed.

Suggestions are made and alternatives are presented. But, like the climate-change or energy-independence issues, the book does not tell us that there is any one easy answer. In fact, there may not be ANY easy answers. It will be HARD to reduce the federal debt. HARD!

No one should come away from the solution without sacrifices. To make it work, we simply need to make dramatic changes in our expectations of what we have coming from our government. We have maxed out on our credit cards, and now the "rent" is due. Not only do we have to pay our future dues - including those connected with entitlements to our seniors - we have to pay off our credit cards AT THE SAME TIME!

Some of the major points made by the book:
* The federal government, with 2.7 million civilian employees, plus another 1.4 million military personnel is by far the largest employer in the country.
* The United States is seemingly addicted to spending more than it takes in.
* For the last 31 out of 35 years, the country has spent more than it has taken in.
* The U.S. has been running a trade deficit every year since 1970.
* Polls show that just one in four Americans favor raising taxes to reduce budget deficits.
* Most Americans do not want Social Security and/or Medicare benefits to be reduced, nor do they want to reduce defense spending.
* Any politician who ran a campaign on raising taxes and lowering spending would probably lose.
* The Social Security Trust Fund holds IOUs, not real money. More than $2 trillion has been "borrowed" by a government that seemingly has no way to pay that money back.
* Even if the War in Iraq were to end today and the Bush tax cuts were to expire today, we still would not be headed toward a balanced budget for the next fiscal year. Things are that bad!
* The IRS estimates that the "gap" between what individuals pay in federal income taxes and what they should be paying is more than $300 billion each year, with 80% of this estimated to come from partnerships and small businesses. But this is an example of relative "chicken feed" in relation to our total national debt.
* Even eliminating all waste, fraud and earmark spending in the federal government would do little to dent the increases in the federal debt.
* Japan and China, alone, hold a total of more than $1 trillion of the U.S. debt that is now more than $10 trillion and growing.
* 2010 will be the "high noon" of budget politics. This is when we have to take our first real "shot" at solving our problem.
* We need to have broken our plan down into little pieces, so that each can implemented in isolation.
* All Americans need to feel that they are doing their fair-share in making sacrifices.
* Significant changes have to be made in the way the federal budget is proposed, approved, overseen and communicated.

One chapter of the book actually invites the reader to make changes to the federal budget to put it in balance. 14 pages of federal budget categories and costs are given, and the reader is invited to reduce area as he/she feels appropriate to reduce. And there is a chapter about how to take statements by politicians with a "grain of salt." But, for my money, the best chapter of the book is the one that gives us the "Six Realities We Need to Accept to Solve This Problem." Two of these are 1) that we need to start now, and 2) that we need to move toward a "different state of mind" in our country about what we spend federal money on, how we can balance our budget on a regular basis, and how we can decrease our national debt, so that we are not the biggest debtor nation in the world.

The book ends with references (not including the National Committee for the Preservation of Social Security and Medicare, unfortunately) to guide you toward more information.

To me, the payback in reading the book is that it leaves you with is a feeling that 1) you better understand the components involved with the national debt, 2) you better understand the importance of the problem, and 3) that you are now part of the solution, not just the problem.

As a nation, we clearly need to put the shovel down and stop digging the hole we are in. I highly recommend this book as a basis of building a more informed, more involved populous relative to the changes that must come in our country, involved with the way we collect and spend money at the federal level. This is NOT a problem that we can ignore any longer. There is no way that it will go away by itself.